Open AccessSpace‐Time Wave Packets from Smith‐Purcell Radiation
Author(s) -
Tan Yi Ji,
Pitchappa Prakash,
Wang Nan,
Singh Ranjan,
Wong Liang Jie
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.388
H-Index - 100
ISSN - 2198-3844
DOI - 10.1002/advs.202100925
Subject(s) - wave packet , physics , terahertz radiation , network packet , electromagnetic radiation , optics , bunches , radiation , computational physics , electron , quantum mechanics , computer science , computer network
Space‐time wave packets are electromagnetic waves with strong correlations between their spatial and temporal degrees of freedom. These wave packets have gained much attention for fundamental properties like propagation invariance and user‐designed group velocities, and for potential applications like optical microscopy, micromanipulation, and laser micromachining. Here, free‐electron radiation is presented as a natural and versatile source of space‐time wave packets that are ultra‐broadband and highly tunable in frequency. For instance, ab initio theory and numerical simulations show that the intensity profile of space‐time wave packets from Smith‐Purcell radiation can be directly tailored through the grating properties, as well as the velocity and shape of the electron bunches. The result of this work indicates a viable way of generating space‐time wave packets at exotic frequencies such as the terahertz and X‐ray regimes, potentially paving the way toward new methods of shaping electromagnetic wave packets through free‐electron radiation.